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Karsa Orlong
Karsa Orlong was a young warrior of the Uryd tribe of the Teblor who lived on the Laederon Plateau on the northern edge of the continent of Genabackis.House of Chains, Dramatis Personae, UK MMPB He was the son of Synyg Orlong and the grandson of Pahlk Orlong. Although already into his eightieth year when he set out from his village, given the long lifespan of the Teblor, Karsa was still considered a youngster within his tribe.House of Chains, Chapter 1, US TPB p.28/30 Karsa was a giant of a man, over seven feet tall, heavily muscled, his flat, broad face tattooed like shattered glass, his teeth filed, and his hair tied into a braid that hung down the left side of his chest. He wore a cloak of Bhederin hide over an armoured vest that appeared to be made of clam shells. Above his loincloth was a wide belt decorated with shriveled ears. He carried a two-handed Ironwood sword with a stone pommel and wooden grip. His friend Leoman thought him seventeen years old and the slayer of forty-one enemies.Deadhouse Gates, Chapter 5, US HC p.132/134Deadhouse Gates, Chapter 15, US HC p.407 In Deadhouse Gates Known as Toblakai, Karsa was an escaped slave and fanatically loyal warrior in the Apocalypse in the Holy Desert Raraku. Alongside Leoman, he served as a bodyguard to Sha'ik Elder, who had been appalled by her visons of the warrior's future.House of Chains, Dramatis Personae, UK MMPBDeadhouse Gates, Chapter 15, US HC p.411 In this he failed, as a Red Blade sniper assassinated Sha'ik as she opened the Book of Dryjhna. The two bodyguards drove off the attackers and remained with Sha'ik's body.Deadhouse Gates, Chapter 5, US HC p.134-136 They guarded the corpse and the book for weeks, gaunt and dazed from hunger, until the arrival of Felisin Paran and Heboric. Leoman named the girl Sha'ik Reborn. To Karsa Orlong's dismay, Heboric recognized that Karsa suffered because he was chained to the spirit of each person he had killed.Deadhouse Gates, Chapter 15, US HC p.407 The barbarian and historian grew to despise each other, with Heboric baiting Karsa and Karsa struggling to obey Felisin's command not to murder him. When Felisin instructed the Toblakai to open the Book of Dryjhna, tears were brought to his eyes by the beauty he saw within its pages.Deadhouse Gates, Chapter 16, US HC p.433 Karsa and Leoman led Felisin to the Whirlwind camp at the Raraku oasis where Karsa remained her bodyguard.Deadhouse Gates, Chapter 18, US HC p.476-479 In House of Chains Leaving the Teblor Lands His grandfather, Pahlk Orlong, was a famed warrior who had, centuries before, gone into the lowlands from the Laederon Plateau and slain many "children", as the Teblor called lowlanders. Karsa grew up on these stories, and believed that was how a true Teblor warrior was to behave. Karsa's father, Synyg, did not approve of this mindset, for he knew Pahlk's exploits to be lies and twistings of the truth. However, no one else knew this, and so Karsa organized a raid in honor of both his grandfather and his god, Urugal the Woven.House of Chains, Chapter 1, US TPB p.28-29 In 1159 BS,House of Chains, Chapter 1, UK MMPB p.32 Karsa took the role of Warleader and left home with his comrades Bairoth Gild and Delum Thord to raid through Sunyd and Rathyd lands and finally, to arrive at the same place where Pahlk had had his escapades.House of Chains, Chapter 1, US TPB p.35 Along the way, his group encountered and freed the Forkrul Assail known as Calm. Calm attacked Karsa, seeing the influence of the Teblor gods on him, but Karsa was barely injured, as Delum Thord defended him and received severe brain damage in the attempt, becoming reduced to a child-like state.House of Chains, Chapter 2, US TPB p.64-70 Upon reaching the lowlands, Karsa and his party found a small, fortified town instead of the farm his grandfather had raided.House of Chains, Chapter 2, US TPB p.81-82 During the attack on this town, Delum Thord was killed and Bairoth Gild and Karsa were both captured. Bairoth was slain and Karsa was soon after sold into slavery, and lost his faith in his gods.House of Chains, Chapter 2, US TPB p.83-110 After weeks of being chained to a wagon bed for transport to the sea, Karsa and his companion, Torvald Nom, found freedom in the fragment of Kurald Emurlahn known as the Nascent.House of Chains, Chapter 3, US TPB p.117-125 During their time in this realm, Karsa and Torvald boarded the Silanda, and slew the Tiste Edur on board.House of Chains, Chapter 3, US TPB p.127-138 They met up with other survivors from the slaving ship that had been wrecked in the Nascent, and returned to the normal world with them, arriving just off the shore of Seven Cities, near Ehrlitan.House of Chains, Chapter 3, US TPB p.141-148/151 Karsa and Torvald Nom left the slavers behind on the shore, and stumbled across the refuge of a Napan who called himself Keeper and dabbled in archaeology.House of Chains, Chapter 3, US TPB p.148-151 At one point during the visit, Keeper floored Karsa with a single punch.House of Chains, Chapter 3, UK MMPB p.223-234 They later left for EhrlitanHouse of Chains, Chapter 3, US TPB p.154-155 and were soon re-enslaved by the very same slaver, Silgar. The group was captured by Malazan forces after their arrival in Ehrlitan, Silgar claiming Karsa as a slave he had recaptured.House of Chains, Chapter 4, US TPB p.158-161 Both Silgar and Karsa were then imprisoned, and Karsa wound up with a tattoo on his face marking him as an escaped slave.House of Chains, Chapter 4, US TPB p.161-164 Karsa and his cellmate later escaped, and fled into the Pan'potsun Odhan.House of Chains, Chapter 4, US TPB p.167-169 Later on Karsa learned of his true racial identity as a Thelomen Toblakai, from whom the Teblor people were descended.House of Chains, Chapter 4, US TPB p.173 Raraku Some of Karsa and Leoman's time in Raraku was described in Deadhouse Gates above. Karsa became a protector to Sha'ik Reborn's adopted daughter, Felisin Younger.House of Chains, Chapter 7, UK MMPB p.351/352 Travels in the Jhag Odhan Eventually, Karsa Orlong left the Holy Desert Raraku. He had been persuaded to go in search of a Jhag horse, and thus went west into the Jhag Odhan. This move was also one his false gods desired.House of Chains, Chapter 10, US TPB p.307-316 On his way to the Jhag Odhan, on the advice of the ghost of Delum Thord, he decided to travel through the Warren of Tellann. He found an imprisoned Jaghut named Aramala in a tower in this realm, and freed her, in return getting advice on how to find a Jhag horse and also learning about who she was and how she had been captured, something that might have pertained to his own questions regarding the nature of the Teblor gods.House of Chains, Chapter 14, US TPB p.400-405 ] Along his journey, he encountered and fought Icarium, the Jhag known as the Slayer of the Ten Thousand, and Karsa's ironwood sword was destroyed. Neither Icarium nor Karsa were slain, as both were knocked unconscious (Icarium by Karsa, Karsa by Mappo) in the clash.House of Chains, Chapter 14, US TPB p.394-397 Shortly thereafter, Karsa Orlong finally met his gods in the Jhag Odhan, who turned out to be T'lan Imass which were shattered in battle millennia earlier. They revealed to him that he was not just their pawn in their plans to regain physical form, but Karsa had also been made into the Knight of Chains.House of Chains, Chapter 14, US TPB p.407-410 In a Tellann-infused sacred cavern, the seven Unbound T'lan Imass helped Karsa Orlong create an unbreakable sword of stone, into which the souls of Delum Thord and Bairoth Gild went, infusing it with bloodthirst. Karsa, now rearmed and faced with manifestations he could attack, shrugged off the facade of doing as the Unbound told him, and drove six of them off, further destroying the seventh, 'Siballe the Unfound. On his way out, he ran into the Tiste Edur warrior Trull Sengar and his T'lan Imass companion, Onrack. Karsa was not in a mood to kill them, and so the pair luckily survived.House of Chains, Chapter 17, US TPB p.444-449 Slightly later on, Karsa met Cynnigig, a Jaghut, and his sister Phyrlis, who helped Karsa obtain the Jhag horse he had set out to acquire in the first place - which turned out to be a young stallion who he named Havok. Karsa then turned around and rode back into the Holy Desert.House of Chains, Chapter 17, US TPB p.451-457House of Chains, Chapter 21, US TPB p.549-551 Upon arriving back in the Oasis at the time of the final battle in which the Army of the Apocalypse was crushed,House of Chains, Chapter 24, US TPB p.600 Karsa proceeded to kill several members of the camp with whom he had issues, though he could not find all of his targets.House of Chains, Chapter 25, US TPB p.602-604/608-609/616-618 While running around the camp, Karsa encountered two of the Hounds of Darkness, known as Deragoth, who had returned to life, and butchered them with impressive skill and single-mindedness. He tied the Hounds' heads to his horse, and sped off into the desert at dawn.House of Chains, Chapter 25, US TPB p.619/626-631House of Chains, Chapter 26, US TPB p.635-636/642-643 When he encountered the Malazan forces, he pronounced that they were no longer his sworn enemy. At least one soldier felt relieved by this (quite arrogant) declaration.House of Chains, Chapter 26, US TPB p.647-648 Karsa then set off,House of Chains, Chapter 26, US TPB p.656 vowing to return home and claim the army the Unbound T'lan Imass had set aside for him and use that force to raise his people from the level to which they had sunk.House of Chains, Chapter 26, US TPB p.659-660 In The Bonehunters Karsa Orlong on his way back to his people, the Teblor in northwestern Genabackis, encountered the witch Samar Dev in the Ugarat Odhan of Seven Cities. She had broken her foot in an accident and was in danger of dying from thirst. Karsa requested that Samar Dev accompany him to Ugarat, her home city, as he needed supplies and wanted to remain beneath notice. Although Karsa attacked a few guards and did some plain speaking, Samar Dev persuaded the authorities to leave him alone. It helped that he was already notorious in the area (by his nom de Guerre, "Toblakai") for his exploits as Sha'ik's bodyguard.The Bonehunters, Chapter 1, US HC p.39-41|49-52 Being told that a Malazan garrison was holding out in the nearby Moraval Keep, Karsa chose to go and talk to them.The Bonehunters, Chapter 1, US HC p.51 He found no Malazans, but he did encounter a K'Chain Nah'ruk (which had been imprisoned in the Keep but which had broken free) and Karsa killed it after a ferocious fight.The Bonehunters, Chapter 3, US HC p.103-110 However, the locals were still suspicious of him and Karsa decided to leave with Samar Dev.The Bonehunters, Chapter 5, US HC p.155-157/177-178 Karsa and Samar Dev, having planned an extended journey westward from Ugarat,The Bonehunters, Chapter 5, US HC p.156 eventually found themselves crossing a land of evergreen forests, exposed bedrock, and scattered lakes to the west of Yath Alban.The Bonehunters, Chapter 12, US HC p.389 There they came across the tribe of the Anibar who were beset by enemies. Their leader, Boatfinder, requested that Karsa slay their enemies for them. The Anibar had a legend that the wielders of swords of birth-stone (which was the type of stone Karsa's sword was made of) would defend them in a time of great slaying. Karsa insisted on Boatfinder coming along on the quest.The Bonehunters, Chapter 12, UK HB p.587-589 While travelling with the Anibar, Boatfinder told Samar and Karsa more of the legends of his people, including their revered hero, Iskar Jarak.The Bonehunters, Chapter 12, UK HB p.590-595 The three of them eventually found the enemy of the Anibar, Tiste Edur whose fleets were scouting the world to collect champions to fight their Emperor, Rhulad Sengar. After initially killing a large number of the Tiste Edur, Karsa was persuaded by Samar to speak with them, instead. Hearing about the challenge, he decided to accompany them back to the Letherii Empire, as did Samar Dev.The Bonehunters, Chapter 16, UK MMPB p.802-810 During the journey Karsa and Samar Dev witnessed the clash between the Edur fleet and the Malazan Imperial fleet.The Bonehunters, Chapter 18, UK MMPB p.883-890 Karsa was pleased when he discovered that Icarium Lifestealer was amongst the other challengers on board as he was keen to continue their previous interrupted fight when they got to the Letherii Empire.The Bonehunters, Epilogue, UK MMPB p.1197/1198 In Reaper's Gale ] Upon the arrival of Karsa Orlong and Samar Dev in Letheras, the capital of the Letherii Empire, Karsa caused a stir when he threw a guard six or more paces because he was annoyed by the contemptuous tone and the list of do's and don'ts the man was giving him.Reaper's Gale, Chapter 7, UK BCA edition p.170 He also soon after likely killed someone who dared touch his sword.Reaper's Gale, Chapter 9, UK BCA edition p.226 Whilst waiting for his duel with the Emperor, Rhulad Sengar, Karsa engaged in practice bouts with some of the other challengers, including a Seguleh, all of whom he defeated easily.Reaper's Gale, Chapter 11, UK BCA edition p.306-310 Karsa was visited by Ublala Pung and gave him the command to gather the Tarthenal living on the Islands in the Draconean Sea and bring them to him. Ublala then told Karsa that he knew the secret of the Emperor. Karsa made Samar leave the room before he listened to what Ublala had to say.Reaper's Gale, Chapter 11, UK BCA edition p.320-322 Encountering Lifestealer in the city, Karsa first knocked down Icarium's companion, the Gral, Taralack Veed, but then chose not to fight the Jhag because Icarium gave his word that Karsa should be first to face the Emperor and because Karsa recognized that whilst Icarium was half Jaghut, the other half was Toblakai.Reaper's Gale, Chapter 15, UK BCA edition p.469-471/479 Finally, Karsa fought and killed Rhulad Sengar - having managed to evoke, with help, a complex blood ritual that (after the duel) created a portal that brought him into The Crippled God's realm. There, he destroyed Rhulad's spirit, thus giving the Tiste Edur peace. Refusing to take the cursed sword that would have made Rhulad immortal, Karsa left the realm thanks to a portal of fire that had suddenly appeared.Reaper's Gale, Chapter 24, US TPB p.773-774/801-802/805-808/819-821 In Toll the Hounds The portal took Karsa Orlong to the continent of Genabackis in the region of the Lamatath Plain. Samar Dev managed to follow him there from Letheras in Lether through Warrens with his Jhag horse, Havok. She had met Traveller en route and they travelled together on the trail of Karsa.Toll the Hounds, Chapter 6, US TPB p.192Toll the Hounds, Chapter 8, US TPB p.232-233 Upon hearing that Karsa had slain Rhulad and that Karsa might now be in possession of the sword, Traveller warned Samar that he would challenge the Toblakai if that was the case.Toll the Hounds, Chapter 8, UK HB p.249-252 Karsa in the meantime was challenging 'The Captain' of the self-proclaimed 'Skathandi' (raiders of the Lamatath Plain) kingdom - a bandit and slaver who was a cripple who had survived being almost fatally tortured by giving himself over to river spirits. Karsa had already taken out several raiding parties when he at last caught up with the train of the leader. At the sight of Karsa, The Captain's river spirits fled and the man, realizing that now his wounds were bleeding again and he would soon die, declared Karsa his heir. Karsa told him that he would have none of it, that instead the slaves would all be freed and The Captain's kingdom would sink without trace. The Captain then died and Karsa dispersed everyone.Toll the Hounds, Chapter 8, UK HB p.255-258/298-301 Samar Dev and Traveller caught up with Karsa soon after and there was a moment of weighing up between the men. As Karsa had not kept the sword, there was no fight and the three agreed to travel together to Darujhistan.Toll the Hounds, Chapter 10, UK HB p.356/358 Karsa witnessed the clash between Anomander Rake and Traveller, ending with the former's death.Toll the Hounds, Chapter 23, US TPB p.765-768 Toblakai was one of the people who stopped the newly awakened Hounds of Light from taking Rake's sword, Dragnipur. He was aided by the Knight of Death and, lastly, by his daughters. The two girls were the result of the rape of a mother and her daughter which Karsa had committed when setting out as a very young warrior on his original quest.Toll the Hounds, Chapter 23, US TPB p.775Toll the Hounds, Chapter 24, US TPB p.792-795/813/816-817 Karsa decided to remain in Darujhistan after Picker relayed a message to him from Hood. Karsa was told was told he was needed to help kill a god.Toll the Hounds, Chapter 24, US TPB p.817/818 In The Crippled God Whilst in Darujhistan, Karsa Orlong at last persuaded Samar Dev to invite him into her bed. He made a brief appearance in the streets of Darujhistan outside the temple of Fener. As Gesler and Stormy called on the boar god to manifest at the Spire, Karsa entered Fener's temple and destroyed one of the god's tusks enshrined there. The artifact's destruction resulted in Fener's death. Having manifested in the clouds above the Spire, the Ascendant's blood rained down on the combatants of the Battle of the Spire, returning life to the T'lan Imass and Jaghut warriors present, so that their races would continue to walk the world. Quotes Trivia *Karsa Orlong is expected to be the subject of The Karsa Orlong Trilogy, a series of books to be written by Steven Erikson which take place 10 to 12 years after The Crippled God. These will be written after Erikson concludes the Kharkanas Trilogy.Read for Pixels 2016 Interview at 53:45 *In a 2016 interview, Steven Erikson mentioned that he was negotiating with a Serbian company to produce graphic novel adaptations of Karsa's adventures. The adaptations would start with Karsa's portion of House of Chains.Read for Pixels 2016 Interview at 55:35 *Erikson found the dialogue between Bairoth Gild and Karsa at the start of House of Chains to be "probably the most pleasurable" to write in the entire Malazan Book of the Fallen series.Read for Pixels 2016 Interview See 1:47:49 Fan art gallery Deadhouse Gates= Karsa 2.jpg|Interpretation of Karsa Orlong by Yapattack Toblakai by slaine69.jpg|link=File:Toblakai by slaine69.jpg|Interpretation of Karsa by slaine69 Orlong and sword by slaine69.jpg|Interpretation of Karsa and his stone sword by slaine69 Karsa orlong by deathris.jpg|Interpretation of Karsa Orlong by DeathriS |-|House of Chains= Karsa by slaine69.jpg|Interpretation of Karsa by slaine69|link=File:Karsa by slaine69.jpg Karsa by GenKael.png|Interpretation of Karsa by GenKael=|link=File:Karsa by GenKael.png Karsa Orlong by Ylva Ljungqvist.jpg|Interpretation of Karsa by Ylva Ljungqvist Karsa orlong by luztheren.jpg|Karsa Orlong by Luztheren Karsa orlong with havok by luztheren.jpg|Karsa Orlong with Havok by Luztheren Notes and references de:Karsa Orlong Category:Teblor Category:Males Category:High House Chains Category:Thelomen Toblakai